Spring-motor-driven vehicle.



AJ'E. GEPHARL. SPRING MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. I916.

Patented Mar. 6, 191%.

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A. E. GEPHART. SPRING MOTOR DRIVEN VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. I916.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

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A. E. GEPHART.

SPRING MOTOR DRIVEN VEHlCLE.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 6. 1916.

1,217,935; Patented Mar. 6,1917.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' wammw W5? '4 4aMcw- ANNA E. GEPHART, or MANSFIELD; onion sP'RINGMoToR-nmvmrVEHICLE.

To all whom itmay' concern: Y

Be it known that IVANNA E; GEPHA T, a

citizen of the United States,-residingat Mansfield,- in the county of Richland, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Spring .--Motor-Driven Vehicle; and I do hereby'declare the; following to he a'full, 1

clear, and-exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in-the art to-which itappert'ains to make; and use the samev 7 This invention relates to an improved spring -motor-dri'ven vehicle; and Y an object of the invention-is to-provide a casing to be. securedupon the under face of the bottom of the body of the ve'hiele andhaving a multiple of spring driven drums mounted therein, which =drums;-in turn,- are provided with gears, in combinatlon Wltll means to be shifted *andhaving gears toengage first" one setofgears of'the drums, andthein another.

set of gears, whereby power may betrans- YY mitted to the rearaxleof the vehicle.

A' further object of theinve'ntionis; to provide means for shifting the shifting meansz A further object of the invention is to provide Y means -for releasing an'd stopping the motordriven vehicles Y i In practical field-s the details of constr-uc tion maynecessitate alterations-falling With== in the scope-of what is claimed; Y

The invention comprises further features and-combinations'- of parts hereinafter set forth, shown inthe drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:-:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation-ofthe" the shaft may berotated to wind 'itsrespec improved motor-driven vehi'cle constructed inaccordance with the inventlon.

Fig. -:-2 is a horizontal sectional view on Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional view on line" 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figiis a sectional view'on -line- 4:-''4: of Fig. 2.

Fig- 5 isa'sectional view on line 5+5 of ble'with the axle 2 are the'rear supporting with'one'of the gears 22, and-When shifted in the opposite direction the other gear-3d driving-wheels 4. Also movable with one end'of the axle 2 is-a pinion 5. Mounted in bearings fi projectingdown from the =bot-= tom ofthe 'bod-yof the vehicle is a :shaft 17,

Specification of Letters Patent.

2 which meshes withthegean 8. r

Mounted lIl bearings of Y the ca-sing 11 are' v Pa emcarrar. 11917. Applicatioirfiled September 6, 1916. Serial No. 118,725.

9 to the under faceofflthe bottom of the body of the vehicle is theflangef 10-of a cas ing 11", from *one side of which a stub: sha-ft extends d-011 thi'stub'shaft rev- Y gear 14,

oluhly by means of'the nut 13 isa three shafts 15, 16 -and17 Mounted upo'n one end of the shaft 16 byxmeans of the pinparted to the shaft 16 power is transmitted 1 7 being on one side 'ot the' sh'a-ft '16 and the other set of drums 21-upon the opposite 'side' of the shaft 16.-

The drums-2O and' '21areprovidedvvith beveled gears 22 and 23.-- It -is to be noted that the beveled gears 22 'are'disposed -re'-"' verse -'to the beveled gears 23. vIn other words, the bevels ofthe gears 22 extend in gears 23.

. Mounted inthe drums 2O and-21 are heavy ,strongcoiled springs 24:, 0ne end of each of which 1s secured toits respective 1 shaft, the-otherendof each ofwhich is-se-' cured totheinner-fa-ce of its respective hous-- ing drums One end'of each -sha ft 15 and 1'7- is provided with a rectangular extremity 25 to be engaged by .'a suitable-wrench, whereby tive' springs. 'Each sha-ft'15 -and-17 near its for winding its' respective 'springsw Mounted upontheshaft'16 to rotate there with by meansofthe -ke v;or feather 29; but

to move axially ,thereon, is asleeve 28 which 31 and 32. The gears 30 areadja'cent-each other, and their bevels- I extend toward one another, so 'tha't when the sleeve is shifted-in is providedwvith' a multiplicity of. gears 30, Y

one 1 direction one of the gears 30' will mesh will mesh'withbne of the gears The ranged but with respect to the other gears 22 and 23. Therefore, it will be understood that by virtue of the heavy strong coiled springs, revoluble movement is imparted to the drums, which, in turn, transmit the movement to the shaft 16 and thence to the rear axle 2 through the medium of the chain of gears.

Extending down from the body of the vehicle to one side of the casing 11 is an arm 34, on the lower end ofwhich a bell crank lever 35 is pivoted. One arm 33 of the lever has an elongated slot 36 to be engaged by the reciprocating rod 37 which is mounted in a guide bearing 38 on the side of the casing 11 and which rod 37 has forks 39 at one end, to engage an annular groove 40 in one end portion of the sleeve 28, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 5, so that when the rod 37 is reciprocated the sleeve is shifted axially, so as to disengage one set of gears carried by the sleeve from engagement from one or the other of the sets of gears 22 and 23.

Pivoted on the forward portion of the body 1 is a lever 41, to the lower end of ,which'a rod 42 is connected. The rear end of the rod 42 is, in turn, pivoted to the arm 43 of the bell crank lever 33. The lever 41 is provided with a dog 44 operated by a hand grip 45, so as to engage and disengage the teeth of the segment 46. The dog 44 constitutes means to hold the lever 41 in different adjusted positions. By oscillating the lever 41, the sleeve 28 may be shifted.

While the springs of one set of drums are furnishing power to the shaft 16, for driving the axle 2, the springs of the other set of drums may be wound, and vice versa.

Mounted in guides of the arms 47 which extend downwardl from the body of the vehicle is a rod 48, the extremity 49 of which is designed to engage between any two teeth of the gear 19, to hold the gear at rest and prevent the shaft 16 from turning. Secured to the forward portion of the body 1 by means of a pivot 50 is a lever 51, the lower end of which engages an eye 52 of the rod 48, so that when the lever 51 is oscillated in one direction or the other, the rod 48 is reciprocated, so that its extremity may be thrown into and out of engagement with the teeth of the gear 19. A toothed segment 53 is carried by the forward portion of the body 1 and is engaged by a dog 54 (which may be manipulated by the hand grip 55) to hold the lever 51 in different adjusted positions.

A forward axle 56 is provided and is supplied with the forward wheels 57. This axle 56 is secured to the usual bolster 58 which is mounted upon the usual king bolt 59 and movable with the bolster is a gear 60, with which the gear 61 meshes. The gear 61 is carried by the lower end of the usual steering column 62 mounted in a bearing 63 of the body of the vehicle and provided with a hand wheel 64, whereby upon rocking the steering column 62 the forward axle will be oscillated in one direction or the other by virtue of the gears 60 and 61, in order to steer the vehicle.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is 1. In a spring motor vehicle, the combination of an axle to be driven and a chain of gears for rotating the axle, of a casing secured to the body of the vehicle, a pair of shafts mounted in tne casing each having a multiplicity of spring-driven drums provided with beveled gears, and means having connections with said chain of gears and to be shifted from engagement with one set of gears in engagement with the opposite set of gears, whereby motion is imparted to said chain of gears.

2. In a spring motor vehicle, the combina tion of an axle to be driven and a chain of gears for rotating the axle, of a casing secured to the body of the vehicle, a pair of shafts mounted in the casing each having a multiplicity of spring-driven drums provided with beveled gears, the bevels of one set extending in a direction opposite to the bevels of the other set, a shaft mounted in the casing, a sleeverotatable with and slidable on the last-named shaft and having three sets of beveled gears cooperating with first one set and then the other of the first gears to transfer power from the springdriven drum to the chain of gears.

3. In a spring motor vehicle, the combination of an axle to be driven and a chain of gears for rotating the axle, of a casing secured to the bodyof the vehicle, a pair of shafts mounted in the casing each having a multiplicity of spring-driven drums provided with beveled gears, the bevels of one set extending in a direction opposite to the bevels of the other set, a shaft mounted in the casing, a sleeve rotatable with and slidable on the last-named shaft and having three sets of beveled gears cooperating with first one set and then the other of the first gears to transfer power from the springdriven drum to the chain of gears, and means for shifting said sleeve.

4. In a spring motor vehicle, the combination of an axle to be driven and a chain of gears for rotating the axle, of a casing secured to the body of the vehicle, a pair of shafts mounted in the casing each having a multiplicity of spring-driven drums provided with beveled gears, the bevels of one set extending in a direction opposite to the bevels of the other set, a shaft mounted in the casing, a sleeve rotatable with and slidable on the last-named shaft and having three sets of beveled gears coiiperating with first one set and then the othgr of the first gears to transfer power from the springdriven drum to the chain of gears, means for shifting said sleeve,'ancl means for preventing the spring-operated drums from retrograde movement.

-5. In a spring motor vehicle, the combination of an axle to be driven and a chain of gears for rotating the axle, of acasing secured to the body of the vehicle, a pair of shafts mounted in the casing each' having a multiplicity of spring-driven drums provided with beveled gears, the bevels of one set extending'in a direction opposite to thebevels of the otherset, a shaft mounted in the casing, a sleeve rotatable with and slidable on the last-named shaft and having three sets of beveled gears cooperating with first one set and then the other of the first gears to transfer power from .thespringdriven drum to the chain of gears, means for shifting said sleeve, and a device to coo erate with. one of the gears of the chain of gears to hold the last-mentioned shaft a 'ainst operation. 6. In a spring motor Vehicle, the combination of an axle to be driven and a chain of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by

gears for rotating the axle, of a casing secured to the body of the vehicle, a pair of shafts mounted in the casing each having a multiplicity of spring-driven drums provided with beveled gears, the bevels of one set extending in a direction 0 posite to the bevels of the other set, a sha t mounted in thecasing, a sleeve rotatable with and slidable on the last-named shaft and having three sets of beveled gears cooperating With first one set and then the other of the first gears to transfer power from the springdriven drums to the chain of gears, means for shifting said sleeve, a device to cooperate with one of the gears of the chain of gears to hold the last-mentioned shaft against operation, and means for preventing retrograde movement of the spring-operated drum. v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

. ANNA E. GEPIIART. Witnesses:

Lnwrs W. STEVENSON, JOSEPHINE STEVENSON.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). c." 

